Falling
by teapaahty
Summary: It's Ruby Lucas' first year at college and she's got a full-ride athletic scholarship to go play lacrosse at Storybrooke University with her best friend, Emma Swan. Though she is confident she will do well in her criminal justice classes, one elective may endanger her GPA and spot on the lacrosse team. Luckily, she has been assigned an uptight but, irresistibly interesting tutor.
1. Chapter 1

When the heavy wooden door to the lecture hall slammed shut with an unexpected cacophony, not even the diligently focused petite brunette in the front row could resist whipping her head around to see a tall dark-haired girl in black adidas sweatpants and a scarlet red Storybrooke U Lacrosse pinnie, who was now turning a deep shade of pink and wearing the expression of a puppy that has just been caught misbehaving. The silent classroom cast a unanimous nervous stare toward the tardy girl. Yet, only the pretty brunette in the front row seemed particular perturbed by the disruption. Even the professor just shrugged off the distraction.

A loud sigh washed over the room from the front of the class as the elderly professor groaned, "Well, there is always at least one of you…" He continued to speak, addressing the entire room, "As I was just explaining, attendance and punctuality are mandatory for this class… And , as I am sure many of you will come to find, are skills required for success in the adult world." The white-haired professor motioned to the girl standing at the top of the stairs, "Alright, alright… Here, all latecomers are lucky enough to get front row seats." The girl slouched with displeasure at this statement. "They're the only seats no one else wants," he grumbled, mostly to himself, in the manner that older professors often do to express their weariness from years of preparing soul-sucking lectures and delivering them to aloof students.

As the tall almost-black-haired girl descended the steps, her athletic grace became apparent as she slipped down the levels quickly and smoothly, barely lingering on any one of them until she reached the first row of seats. She slid into a spot at least two seats away from a clearly annoyed but, notably cute, girl with mid-length wavy, brown hair, who shot her a harsh glare of disapproval before returning her attention to the professor. The lanky, white-haired professor began to drone information to the class as he walked up to drop a syllabus on the athlete's desktop. Across the top margin, it read _Historical and Sociological Interpretation of Fiction Classics _in neat, sprawling cursive_. _"Great start to your toughest class of the semester, Lucas. Really great…" Ruby thought to herself, rolling her eyes and slouching into her seat.

After what felt like three hours, the fifty-minute class was over and, with it, so was the first Monday of college classes for Ruby Lucas. She wouldn't have to return to what she assumed would be her least favorite class until Wednesday. She was on a full-ride for lacrosse and studying to be a criminal justice major, like her best friend from high school and current dorm mate, Emma Swan. Ruby's Granny nearly died of laughter when the girls announced their decided career path (considering that Ruby and Emma were "long-time, well established trouble-making hoodlums of Storybrooke," as she had put it), but couldn't protest since Ruby had saved up plenty from working at the diner and earned a full athletic scholarship too.

Most of Ruby's core curriculum classes seemed like they would be interesting and easy enough for her to do well in them. But much to her dismay, she was also required to take at least one 'art appreciation' lecture and she was forced to pick the only one that fit her lacrosse practice schedule—Interpretation of Fiction. Ruby had always hated reading, finding it too slow-paced and therefore boring. She would rather watch a movie, or better yet, play a pick-up game of nearly any sport. Luckily, the athletic department was prepared for the academic shortcomings of their athletes and had made arrangements for a student-tutor to help ensure that Ruby's grades were good enough to maintain her NCAA eligibility for lacrosse. Ruby was supposed to be meeting the tutor at the library at 6:00pm. It was now 6:20pm.

"You're late," a soft accented voice called out from behind Ruby, who whirled around smoothly on her heel to see the wavy-haired girl with her sapphire eyes and full lips pulled into a scowl.

"Actually, I'm Ruby," the tall girl joked as she smiled warmly at the smaller brunette, who was dressed like a fashionable grade-school teacher. She noticed the other girl's stern look and laughed, "And I recognize that icy glare from class. You must be my tutor!" Ruby flashed her distinctively charismatic smile at the other girl as she played light-heartedly at the other girl's blatant annoyance.

"Belle," the smaller girl let out quickly while trying to avert her gaze from the obnoxiously charming smile of the tall, pretty, athletic girl standing in front of her. She looked back up as she watched the Ruby pull out a chair, slide off her backpack, and seat herself across from Belle effortlessly. The girl's jade green eyes were flecked with black and yellow and seemed to sparkle as she smiled and said slowly, "Well, Belle," letting the name linger on her tongue as she said it for the first time, "I'm sorry I'm late. Sometimes I think my coach is just _really _intothe sound of his own voice. He just kept talking forever after practice," she elaborated. "And, I mean, I could have rushed right over, but I assumed you would prefer if I was showered and didn't smell like dirt and grass," Ruby joked as she unzipped her bag to pull out a notebook and pen.

Belle honestly didn't mind that Ruby was late. It gave her time to read her most recently acquired novel, _The Hunger Games_, which she had been dying to indulge in after a long day of classes. Still, Belle didn't like when people were late for the sole reason that it usually meant that they didn't care about what or, in her case, who they were late for. Yet, as she met Ruby's warm and focused eyes (still turnt up and crinkled at the edges because she was _still_ smiling at her), she had difficulty assuming the same of the girl. She expressed the mildest of annoyance as she said, "It's fine, I was just reading anyways, and the book is really good," she managed a tiny smile that made Ruby's eyes gleam while a relieved half-smile crept across her face. Belle had to remind herself to avert her gaze from the other girl's lips again. There was something annoyingly alluring about the charismatic, handsome girl, who had just begun to pull her smooth dark hair into a ponytail. A few wild strands escaped the control of the elastic and fell to frame the beautifully angular features of her face. She tucked one of them behind her her with her left hand.

"You are already reading for class? It's the first day!" Ruby exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh, no. This book is just for fun," Belle replied brightly, not able to hide her love for anything to do with fiction.

"Phew..." Ruby let out in a sigh of relief.

"_This_…" Belle heaved a small but thick brown book onto the library table with a light thud, "is the book we are reading for class." She smiled genuinely, which made Ruby believe that she might not be completely sane.

Ruby let her jaw drop and her head fall forward into her hands in a dramatic display of defeat and surrender. She peered up from behind her fingers when she heard the adorable chime of Belle's half-giggle. "Come on," Belle chuckled, "Crime and Punishment is a classic! It's a great, enthralling story! And it's written so elegantly!" she enthused. The tiny girl was now beaming at Ruby as she pushed a stray curl back behind her ear and began to rave about the book. When Belle finally stopped to take a breath after summarizing the book, its themes, and its socio-cultural context, she looked up to see Ruby looking at her with the expression of a confused puppy, head tilted and eyebrows raised with bewilderment.

"Oops," she squeaked, "Sorry… I get a little excited. I just love literature," Belle apologized, letting her smile sink into a slightly embarrassed grimace.

"No! Hey!" Ruby interjected. "I think it's totally cool that you like to read," she encouraged with a smile, "It's just that I've never been very successful in my English classes in the past. I don't really like to read and I hardly ever notice any 'symbolism' or that 'foreshadowy' stuff." Her usually confident grin reduced to a thin line, now only slight upturned at one corner. "I've always been jealous of smart girls like you," she admitted as she looked up slowly to see Belle with a look of genuine disbelief on her face.

"What?" Ruby asked, "What's so surprising?"

"That you would be jealous of someone like me. You were always so cool, pretty, and popular in high school…" Belle mumbled the end of her sentence as she realized what she was revealing.

"WAIT! _You_ went to Storybrooke High?! Why don't I remember you?" Ruby exclaimed excitedly, disrupting a few students reading nearby. She leaned forward over the table, her eyes wide and attentive, like a dog waiting for a tennis ball to be thrown.

"Shhh!" Belle hissed, shaking her head, "No. I-I…"Then, the girl sighed with defeat as she explained to Ruby how she transferred to Storybrooke from France during her senior year and how she never really got to know anyone aside from her teachers. Belle was not particularly social in high school. She admitted that she was more concerned with her grades and her part-time job at the town library, which almost no one from her graduating class ever ventured into.

"Well, I wish I knew you back then," Ruby replied thoughtfully. "Then, maybe my GPA would have been higher than the minimum requirement for participation in sports," she joked. Belle smiled with relief at how surprisingly humble and sweet the beautiful jock actually was.

"Maybe this tutoring thing won't be so bad after all," they both thought to themselves.

"Oh!" Belle gasped as she looked at her thin gold watched. It was already 8:00pm and their planned tutoring session was up. "We didn't even get through the first chapter and we are supposed to have read through chapter three by Friday!" Belle worried aloud.

"I'm sorry. I get distracted easily," Ruby admitted, "but I was just interested in what you were saying." Ruby apologized but wasn't really sorry. She had enjoyed every minute of listening to Belle's sweet, lightly accented voice tell her stories and share her ideas and opinions. There was a sweetness to the girl's voice that Ruby could not get enough of.

Belle murmured, "I was just rambling on about myself…" she trailed off shyly.

"Yeah, that's what I liked about it," Ruby said softly as she bit her lip, worried that she might be coming on a bit too strong but, when she glanced up and saw that Belle's cheeks had turned a light pink as she tried not to smile at the comment, she relaxed. Confident once again, she flashed her charming smile at the still pink Belle who averted her eyes and began to hurriedly put her books into her backpack.

Belle was doing everything in her power to avoid eye contact with Ruby to hide the fact that she could feel herself blushing at the sweetness of Ruby's comment. The way Ruby had said it, and the way Belle had felt when she heard it made the smaller girl nervous—but a good kind of nervous, the kind that made her heart flutter and race. She had to try and make a quick escape before she said something stupid or, worse, dorky in from of Ruby. So, she began to gather her books quickly and tried to hurry back to the comfort of her quiet and most likely empty dorm room. But Ruby was not letting her off the hook so easily.

"So…" Ruby started, "Can I walk you back to your dorm? It's already dark out and I'd hate for you to have to walk alone." The taller girl was standing in front of the still-seated Belle, looking down at the adorable bookworm hopefully. Belle was silent for a moment, dumbfounded by the impossibly intoxicating effect of the beautiful girl's contagious grin. She just smiled back at her.

"Well? What do you think?" Ruby prompted after a few seconds passed without a response, still smiling but now displaying a look of mild concern.

"Yeahh…Um," she stammered, "Excuse me, I mean… Yes, that would be really nice," Belle recovered. She tucked another stray curl behind her ear, nervously, and stood to Ruby's height—well, not quite…the tutor just barely reached the chin of her pupil. She looked up at the taller girl to smile and say a quick, "Thank you," that sounded, to Ruby, like the soft, pleasant treble of bells.

Ruby watched as Belle tried to heave her heavy bookbag onto her tiny frame and chuckled softly at the extreme amount of effort that she had to use just carry the over-stuffed bag. "Here," Ruby outstretched her sinewy arm to Belle, "let's switch." She took the bag from Belle's shoulder and slung it over her own with ease, handing Belle her own nearly empty backpack with her decidedly frustrating, lovely smile still plastered on her face. "I don't have quite so many books," she teased.

Belle could feel herself blushing again, partly from embarrassment at her portable library of a backpack and partly on account of that nervous feeling she kept getting whenever Ruby looked directly at her. As she walked through the library exit, which Ruby opened easily opened and held from behind her with the swift motion of her right arm, she couldn't help but to feel confused about how excited she had become at the idea of spending more time with the girl that she had thought she would loathe. She also couldn't see the amalgam of disbelief and excitement on Ruby's face as the taller girl watched her beautiful and enthralling tutor walk out into the Fall air and wait for her to walk her home.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby always loved this time of year. September in New England was, to her, perfect. The perfect weather and scenery— cool mornings and evenings, which called for cozy sweaters and jackets, and the leaves began to turn various shades of her favorite color, red. She explained this to Belle as they walked through the heart of their hilly campus and towards the ivy-covered brick dorm building, set about a half-mile back from the main residence halls. Cogsworth Hall, named for the large clock that loomed over the building's dramatic entrance, was the dormitory for all Honor College students, including Belle. The pair meandered toward its gates, talking and laughing with each other as they walked.

Belle watched Ruby as the taller girl described her love for the fall and winter, letting her hands fly wildly as she elaborated. A few times, Ruby would glance over at Belle to make sure she hadn't bored her to death but, each time, she was relieved to see Belle's big blue eyes focused on her with what seemed like genuine interest. "…I don't know, I've just always been warm blooded. The cold never really bothers me," Ruby said, shrugging as she concluded.

"Well, that makes one of us," Belle said as she wrapped her arms around her body in attempt to warm herself up. "Whenever the weather gets cold, you can find me curled up next to the biggest fireplace I can find, most likely nose-deep in a book," she stated and smiled at the idea.

"Are you cold now?" Ruby asked, noting how the smaller girl was hugging herself as they walked along the lit path.

"Only a little," she admitted, "but, I'll be fine. My dorm is just a few minutes from-" Belle was cut off as Ruby thrust her black and red zip-up team jacket toward her. She didn't even notice her take it off.

Ruby's eyes were doing that smoldering thing again as they looked into Belle's with concern. "Here," she said kindly, but as more of a demand than an offer.

"Oh, no, thank you. I'm fine," she tried.

Ruby sighed and rolled her eyes playfully, "I just finished telling you about how I never get cold. Remember?" She pushed the jacket closer to the petite girl, who blushed as she gave in, allowing Ruby to slide the jacket over her shoulders. She sighed gratefully, zipping the jacket up to her neck. It was a little big on her, but Ruby thought the tiny girl looked adorable in it.

"Wow!" Belle exclaimed, "This jacket feels like it has been draped around a space heater for the past twenty minutes, not a human!" She looked up at Ruby, her sapphire eyes sparkling as she smiled warmly.

"Are you saying I'm hot?" Ruby returned Belle's sweet smile with her own sly, charming one. "I mean, it's a little unprofessional for a tutor to say to her student but, I'll take it." She laughed at her own joke as she playfully nudged the petite girl with her elbow. Belle was now flushed red as she chuckled nervously, "Well…um… that's not what I meant—I mean, you are…" Ruby's eyebrows shot up with surprise as the girl continued to stammer, "I mean, the jacket is quite warm!" she recovered somewhat, "Thank you!" she finally managed.

Ruby smiled to herself as she thought of what to say next. "Yeah, sure, no problem," she started coolly. "Besides, I think it looks better on you anyways," she said sincerely, casting a somewhat shy smile Belle's way.

Belle felt like butterflies were trying to force their way out of her stomach, through her heart, and into her throat, preventing her from doing or saying anything other than turning pink and swallowing loudly. Finally, when she regained some control over her motor skills, it was all she could manage to smile bashfully and tuck a piece of hair behind her right ear. "Oh, I don't know about that," she practically whispered as she deliberately kept her gaze on the ground to avoid Ruby's.

The last minute or two of the walk to Belle's dorm was spent in a shy, but unobjectionable silence that caused the girls to occasionally glance at each other out of the corner of their eyes but then simply smile sheepishly and avert their gaze as they searched for more inconspicuous directions to look in. Finally, as they approached the door to the residence hall they spoke, but at the same time.

"Well…" Ruby sighed.

"So..." Belle chirped

They both turned pink in the cheeks and laughed at their impeccable timing. Ruby watched Belle wring her hands nervously as she lifted her head to say, "Thank you for walking me back. I am sure I would have been just fine but, the company is nice— my roommate is almost never home and I haven't exactly met many people, yet. Unless you count my professors and TAs," she laughed lightly at what a dork she must have sounded like. "It's just nice to meet someone who I enjoy talking to," she finished, looking up at Ruby with her eyebrows raised hopefully.

Here was Ruby's chance. The entire walk home, she had been running through scenarios in which she would coolly propose spending more time with Belle—away from class and all the schoolwork. The taller girl took a step forward and spoke a bit more excitedly than she had planned, "Well, maybe we can get together to…" she couldn't believe the words that were about to come out of her mouth, "…do homework sometimes." _Ugh. Schoolwork? Really?!_ She scolded herself mentally. Nevertheless, it was the only thing she could think of on the spot that was guaranteed to earn her more time with the alluring bookworm. "…You know, like study buddies," Ruby suggested, shrugging and offering a optimistic half-smile to the shorter girl, who looked up with her blue eyes now wide and excited.

"Of course!" Belle squeaked, wincing inwardly at how obvious she just made her enthusiasm over spending more time with the charming jock. She took a deep breath, "I mean, that would be a lot more fun than doing it alone." Ruby was now beaming at her.

"Cool!" Ruby said, "So, how about tomorrow at 6:30, after I get out of practice?"

"Perfect," Belle replied quickly. She never had any plans and was rather keen to make some with Ruby.

"Alright…" Ruby shoved her hands into her pockets and rocked back onto her heels and then forward onto her toes, fidgeting nervously like she sometimes did before a big game "…I'll see you tomorrow, then?" She gave Belle one last contented smile before taking a step backward and down the steps of the dormitory entrance.

"Yeah! See you tomorrow!" Belle waved goodbye and watched the tall, beautiful girl walk gracefully back down the path towards the main residence halls. Once the girl was past the gate, Belle entered her dorm and quietly made her way to her room on the fourth floor. After she closed her door behind her, she smiled wildly and let loose a high-pitch squeal before running to jump into her bed and press her pillow to her face as she continued to squeak with excitement.


	3. Chapter 3

"Where's the fire, Lucas?" Ruby heard her coach jeer from bench where most of the girls on her team were still in the process of removing their cleats or, for some, the various braces that their damaged and scarred joints relied on to keep them competitive. Torn ACLs, broken wrists, sprained ankles, and ever-present scrapes and bruises were just a reality for any serious athlete. Ruby and all of the other girls on her team were and always had been serious athletes.

Mulan, who moved to Storybrooke from China just before sixth grade, was a brilliant gymnast throughout high school and held black belts in multiple martial art forms, which translated into one of the best walk-on goalie performances in NCAA Eastern Conference history. She was a beautiful but relentlessly serious girl. Emma Swan, Ruby's long-time best friend and starting left wing, was _tough. _Even in elementary school, Emma would "lay down the law," as she often called it, handling any parties caught cheating in whatever sport they had picked up with a swift and strong headlock, followed by an ear pull, and maybe a Wet Willy if she really didn't like you. She would then usually proceed to dominate and win whatever game was at hand, gloating all the way. Emma was good at any sport that required being fast, tough, and clever—so, she was good at most of them. Ruby had just met most of the other girls over summer training since Mulan, Emma, and herself were the only freshman to make the team. But they were all talented athletes and seemed agreeable enough to endure all season.

Trying to make her break for the locker room, she heard Emma's voice pipe up, "Yeah, what are you excited to go study or something?" A ripple of scoffs and laughs traveled through the rest of the team, which, even in the short amount of time since the start of preseason, had come to learn Ruby's strict disinterest in anything not related to sports, food, or men. However, none of them knew about her new, indisputable interest in her cute and fascinating tutor, who she was currently in a rush to get to. She had spent the entire school day on the edge of her seat, tapping her foot anxiously while peering at the clock every thirty seconds, waiting for 6:30 to come.

"Uh…" Ruby spun on her heel but continued to backpedal toward the showers. "Yeah," she ran her hand through her hair and scratched the back of her head nervously, "You know me, just a regular bookworm..." She tried giving a casual laugh before giving the team a quick wave and spinning back round and making her way towards the locker rooms, hurriedly. It was already 6:00 and she would not be late to meet up with Belle again. Her anticipation spiked at the thought of the waiting girl and her big sapphire eyes, she picked up her pace to a brisk jog.

Emma elbowed at the ribs of Mulan, who was packing up her various articles of goalie gear neatly. "Is it just me, or has Ruby been acting weird today?" the blonde prompted.

"Yes, I have also noticed this." Sometimes her phrasing made it obvious that English was a secondarily acquired language for the beautiful keeper. "Ruby did seem quite distracted during practice and departed with unusual haste," Mulan confirmed in her typical matter-of-fact tone.

"Hmm…" Emma squinted suspiciously after Ruby's quickly retreating form. "I wonder what she's hiding." She rubbed her hands together in a maniacal display, to which Mulan simply rolled her eyes and replied, "One should honor the privacy of the people they respect, Emma."

"HA!" Emma half laughed, half scoffed. "We have been best friends since 1st grade! There is no privacy or respect anymore!" At this, Mulan gave up, shrugging and shaking head in disapproval while focusing her attention back to removing her cleats. Emma had her eyebrows pulled together with concentration as she started to run through the possible secrets Ruby could be hiding. She couldn't be sure yet, but she had a hunch.

It was 6:29 when Ruby pulled open the heavy glass door to the library. She had run some of the distance across campus and was, now, accordingly short of breath. However, before she could make it across the threshold of the entrance, she heard Belle's sweet voice call out a, "Hey!" from behind her. She wheeled around to see her petite form perched on the low brick wall adjacent to the building. Belle scooted off the edge, hoisted her oversized tote full of schoolbooks over her shoulder, and headed towards Ruby, who had already closed half the distance between them.

"Hey!" she replied. Curiously, she asked, "Why are you waiting out here?"

Belle noticed her slight shortness of breath and just the faintest glisten of sweat above her right brow, which was arched with interest. The tutor took note that she must have had to run her in order not to be late again. She smirked knowingly and asked, "Did you run here?"

"Oh…uh…" she tried to catch her breath a bit, "Yeah…I ran a little ways. I didn't want to be late for you—uh… this, rather… Studying, that is." She stammered uncharacteristically nervous that she would say the wrong thing.

Belle felt her cheeks flush just a little, excited at thought of being worth so much effort from the gorgeous athlete. The smaller girl noticed that Ruby was not wearing any of her usual sweats, and was instead wearing a black and red flannel, the sleeves rolled up sloppily, a pair of distress-wash form-fitting jeans, and black combat boots. Her hair was up in her usual ponytail, a few strands falling loosely behind her ears or framing her face. Belle's eyes washed over Ruby generously as she took in the girl's interesting and undeniably attractive style.

"So, are we studying outside today? Or…" Ruby prompted the preoccupied looking girl, who snapped back to reality with an, "Oh! Yes…" she paused for a moment as she gathered her distracted thoughts, "Well, there is a big meeting of all the fraternities and sororities in the main study area of the library, tonight. Plus, most of the study rooms are full. So, I thought that we could just use the study lounge in my dorm," she explained. "There's even a fireplace!" she said bouncing a little with enthusiasm as she tried to convince Ruby of the change of plans.

"I would never complained about _not_ having to go to the library," Ruby joked. "Yeah, let's go!" she accepted. She tried to hide her excitement of the idea of additional privacy with Belle but her eagerness manifested as she reached out to take Belle's heavy bag and sling it over her shoulder gracefully and with a wide smile. The smaller girl sighed with relief and cast the taller one an appreciative look as she stood up straight, no longer weighed down by her nearly thirty-pound bookbag. "You know," Ruby began to tease the tutor, "We are going to have to get you one of those sweet little rolling backpacks, or a big, strong boyfriend to lug all this stuff."

"Hmm," Belle mused aloud, "No, thanks. You are doing a pretty good job. Now come on!" she tapped her leg as if she was trying to summon a puppy. She smiled back at Ruby, who was now standing with her jaw dropped slightly, in wonder at the normally shy girl's newfound confidence and humor. Even Belle was taken aback by her own personality transformation while she was with Ruby. She liked this outgoing version of herself better than her usual shy, wallflower personality.

"Fine. But I better get a treat!" Ruby joked as she quickly caught up to the giggling girl. Belle felt the butterflies again as she made a mental note at how freely she laughed and joked along with the jock as they walked.

The study lounge in Cogsworth Hall was elegant, to say the least. It was a large, but cozy, room with beautiful dark hardwood floors with velvet colored walls. Bookshelves covered the perimeter of the room, with a few chairs, sofas, and coffee tables intermittently dispersed throughout its area. Yet, none of this was as impressive as the massive fireplace that stood as the room's centerpiece against the back wall. To Ruby, it was like something out of a movie about a bunch of cokehead, ivy-league school kids. But, best of all, it was absolutely empty. Ruby's mind flushed with the images of possibilities created by the deserted study area, most of them featured her lips pressed up against Belle's at some point.

The taller girl took a calming breath before following the tutor, who was already setting up on the carpet right in front of the roaring fireplace. "Okay…Be cool." she thought to herself as she settled on the couch behind Belle's spot on the plush rug that covered the cold hardwood. She watched the beautiful little brunette begin to open books and notebooks all around her, encircling herself in her work. She sighed with longing as she thought about spending more alone time with the utterly captivating girl.


	4. Chapter 4

For once, Ruby was actually getting some work done. She had read more tonight than she had read in any year, of any level, of her entire career in the Maine public school system. Normally, she would have given up out of boredom two hours ago. Nevertheless, tonight was different. She felt compelled to perform, almost as if it was sport. The idea of possibly impressing Belle entertained her mind.

Recently, she had become inclined to believe that her efforts were not going unnoticed.

Although the girls, particularly the ever-diligent Belle, had remained quiet and focused on their respective academic tasks for the past two and half hours, every so often, the petite brunette would stop highlighting and peer up from her textbook to slyly check on Ruby. In turn, Ruby would pretend not to notice, instead putting on her best "contemplative" facial expression and staring into the pages of her Organized Crime and Drug Business textbook. As Belle would turn back to her work with a contented smile, thankful for the presence of a companion after her rather solitary first few days of college, Ruby would peek over the pages of her own textbook to admire the other girl.

Her eyes would wander to the tutor's smooth and supple neck, which was exposed when the girl habitually flipped her hair off of her right shoulder to gather and twirl into one large curl over her left as she read (another one of Belle's adorable quirks that left Ruby absolutely captivated).

Ruby had spent the past twenty-four hours trying to replay and recall every moment of her and Belle's first encounter, trying to gauge the other girl's feelings and her own. She found herself uncharacteristically fascinated by the ostensibly demure yet, increasingly familiar girl— how her long, full eyelashes would flutter as she skimmed the lines of text, or how she smiled crookedly in accomplishment and tapped her highlighter against the page when she found something worth taking note of. No boy had ever managed to make her feel so consumed with interest and anxiety. No, this was different. Belle was different.

"Phew..." Ruby eventually sighed from her seat on the couch behind Belle, who was settled just a foot or so from her on the plush rug. Her open notebooks and texts encircled her in what Ruby recognized as chaos but afterward assumed to be a manifestation of the beautiful girl's brilliance.

Belle looked back over her shoulder to see Ruby closing her book.

"Finished already?" she inquired with a rewarding smile.

"Yep, all two chapters…" the taller girl closed her eyes and out-stretched her arms and legs, purposefully bumping Belle lightly. The smaller girl laughed her musical laugh and Ruby smiled smugly as she raised her well-defined arms over her head and elaborated on the stretch. "…All sixty-two friggen' pages," she grumbled, letting out a dramatic yawn to accompany the rest of her exhibition of boredom. "That was _not _my idea of fun," she expressed. "I can't remember the last time I read that much for anything, never mind school…" Ruby trailed off as she moved.

Belle's big blue eyes followed Ruby's long, athletic legs as she stood from her seat on the couch and walked over to a bit of open space to continued her impromptu stretching routine. The action was curious to Belle but she assumed this was something that athletes did all the time. Although, she really couldn't be sure. Her athletic experience was minimal.

The closest she had come to playing any sport was her exhausting everyday effort to avoid an incorrigibly misogynistic, albeit handsome, jock named Gaston in the halls of Storybrooke High. He, for some reason, insisted that they were perfect for each other. She insisted otherwise.

Belle's gaze somewhat unintentionally lingered over Ruby when the other girl's t-shirt was accidentally pulled up by the material of her sweatshirt to reveal her flat, toned stomach as she pulled one arm up and behind her head— and then, to Belle's satisfaction, the other. Her pupils dilated with focus.

"Belle…" Ruby prodded her verbally. A sly half smile crept on to her face, as she noticed the direction and intensity of her tutor's stare.

"Oh!" Belle squeaked. "Sorry, must have zoned out for a second," she fumbled as she finally diverted her gaze from the other girl's enticing bare midriff. She tried her hardest not to blush with embarrassment and to maintain some composure in front of the increasingly alluring jock. Her mind raced for something to say.

"Maybe it's time for a break," Ruby saved her. "How about a walk?" she asked excitedly. "The Starbucks on campus is open till 10:00. And…" she added, "…hot chocolate is on me." Her eyes, crinkled at the edges with genuine pleasure, sparkled as they reflected the fire behind Belle as she smiled at her charmingly.

"Alright…" Belle sighed with a sarcastic tone, "I guess we can have a little fun."

"Just a little," Ruby egged cutely.

"BUT," she raised and pointed her index finger at Ruby in a disciplinary fashion, "then, right back to studying!" Belle teased back.

"As you wish, princess." Ruby chuckled as she bowed to Belle and then extender her hand to the seated girl.

With a swift, but gentle, tug from the sinewy athlete, Belle was swept to her feet. However, the momentum was enough to cause her to awkwardly crash into Ruby, who wavered momentarily as she tried to compensate her balance enough for the two colliding bodies. She quickly and instinctively used her body and arms to catch and steady Belle, whose hands were pressed into Ruby's firm stomach as she did her best to prevent the collision.

Belle could immediately feel an intense but inviting heat radiating out of the hands that held both her arms and the defined abs that her hands were still firmly pressed against. And she liked it. With Belle so close, Ruby could smell the sweet lavender and tea tree scent of Belle's soft light-brown hair. And she liked it.

After a pair of nervous laughs and awkward apologies, the girls untangled themselves and quickly averted their gazes from one another, as they hurried to put on their sweatshirts and gloves.

"Ready?" Ruby asked, eyebrows arched.

"I am _always _ready for hot chocolate!" Belle smiled widely, pushing the now chuckling Ruby out of the dorm and into the cool fall air.


	5. Chapter 5

Everything was going great. Ruby had managed to keep Belle rumbling with laughter for the majority of the walk to the campus Starbucks. Their path meandered leisurely, neither in a rush to reach their destination.

Belle was unusually comfortable in the seasonally cool night air thanks to Ruby's lacrosse jacket, which, upon feeling the first cold breeze of the trip, she made the pair turn back for. Ruby had not-so-accidentally forgotten to ask for it back the night before. The athlete tried to hide her deep satisfaction at the sight of the tiny, beautiful girl nestling into the slightly oversized jacket that bore the name "Lucas" in red script across the left arm.

Ruby had successfully convinced Belle to let her pay for the two hot chocolates, ensuring the tutor that she was in debt to her good influence. Belle was easily persuaded by Ruby's endearingly charismatic smile, which she wielded expertly and with ease.

The two walked slowly and closely down the footpath to back towards the dorms. Belle's wit enchanted the jock as she teased and joked back and forth with Ruby comfortably until they were both distracted by a "HEY! LUCAS!" called out from behind them. Ruby groaned audibly. "Great," she thought to herself as both she and Belle turned to face the human cacophony that was her best friend.

A beautiful blonde in jeans and a deep red leather jacket jogged gracefully over to the girls. Her high black leather booths padded lightly against the concrete.

"Hey, Emma," Ruby said in a tone her best friend could surely recognized as unenthused.

"Oh, hey there," Emma said playfully with her mouth and eyebrows pursed and pulled into a sly, knowing look as she looked back and forth between the two girls who still stood noticeably close. The two girls seemed to hover like two attracted magnets separated by some invisible barrier, like another form of gravity kept them lingering in each other's proximity. Emma flashed Belle with her bright, devilishly charming smile. "So this is where—or, rather, who, you were in such a hurry to get to earlier…" She smiled like a snake now. Ruby had become red in the face due to the mixture of embarrassment and agitation knowledgeably spurred by her best friend.

"Yes, Emma…" Ruby let slide through gritted teeth. "This is Belle, my uhm..." she faltered, "...uh, my tutor!" She glanced down nervously at Belle, who had already taken Emma's hand into an enthusiastic shake as she politely smiled and said, "nice to meet you," in her typical sweet, musical voice. Emma's smile grew wider.

"Belle, this is Emma. Tragically, she is my best friend," Ruby bellyached.

"UH! More like only friend, Lucas!" Emma bumped Ruby's shoulder with her fist as she joked. Ruby thought she could feel steam coming out of her ears, but relaxed when she heard Belle laugh along with Emma's banter. "So, how long were you planning on hiding the beautiful Ms. Belle from your best_ and only_ friend?" Emma waggled her eyebrows at Ruby, causing both the girls to blush and attempt to avoid eye-contact with each other.

"I wasn't—I'm not hiding her…" Ruby tried to collect herself with a deep breath. "We study together, so I didn't think you'd be interested in hearing about it—you know, since you can barely stay awake in class," she shot Emma another meaningful glare.

"Oh! Don't listen to her Belle!" Emma exclaimed. "I only sleep in class because I already have what it takes to be a cop. I don't need to," she applied air quotes, "_study_ for it."

Belle laughed at the girls' banter but could not help but notice the unspoken conversation happening between them, although she could not quite grasp exactly what it was they were saying to each other.

"I know what I see when I see it, and I always trust my hunch because I'm usually right," Emma stated as she looked between the girls again. Keeping that knowing smile plastered on her face.

Ruby countered, "What are you doing out here anyway, Swan? Lord knows you aren't on your way to the library."

Now it was Emma's turn to squirm.

"I…uh…" she stammered as she searched for words, "I—I was just meeting…uhh… Graham!" she finally found a suitable chain of words. "Yep, just meeting up with Graham to crash some stupid Greek Week event.

Ruby squinted at her friend suspiciously.

Emma had makeup on and was wearing jeans instead of her typical adidas soccer sweats.

"Graham, huh?" she probed.

"Uh, yeah…" Emma fidgeted. "Actually, look at that… He's probably waiting." She checked her watch. "Well…" she clapped her hands together, "you two have fun _studying,"_ she applied the air quotes again. "I hope to hear all about it," she waggled her eyebrows at Ruby again, who groaned and rolled her eyes at her friend's indiscretion.

Emma turned on her heel and began to walk in the other direction, towards the Greek housing just off the western edge of the campus. "Oh!" she spun back towards them, "Nice to meet you, Belle!" She said with a wave. Belle returned the gesture, sweetly.

Ruby turned to continue he walk back to Belle's dorm. Shaking her head, she muttered, "Delinquent…"

"She was nice." Belle chimed. "And funny too. Now, I know where you get it," she teased. "But, why did she keep using air quotations when she said _studying_? And what was with that," Belle attempted her best eyebrow waggle, "look she kept giving you?" She inquired. "Some sort of inside joke or something?"

"Yeah, something like that…" Ruby blushed a little.

By the time the two girls reached the study lounge again, the fire had nearly been extinguished and the room was not as warm as it had been when they had left.

"Brr…" Belle let out with a chatter as she hugged herself tightly.

Ruby headed for the pile of wood and newspaper next to the fireplace. "I better get this started back up before you turn into a human popsicle."

Belle plopped down on the couch, cuddling her knees against her chest and watched as Ruby expertly stacked, lit, and nursed the fire back to an occasionally crackling roar. The muscles in her shoulders and back flared with definition against her thin, white t-shirt as she moved the heavy logs with ease. Belle felt inexplicably warm before the fire was even lit.

"There," Ruby said, as she looked at her fire with satisfaction before walking over to join Belle on the large, comfortable couch.

"You did that so easily…" Belle admired out loud, "It takes me nearly five minutes and approximately 14 matches to get a good fire going." She watched Ruby slide into the corner seat of the couch to her left.

"I camp a lot," Ruby explained and sighed comfortably as she relaxed into the plush cushions, "and the first thing you have to learn is how to stay warm."

"Speaking of which," Belle interjected shyly. "I'm still freezing." She hugged herself for warmth again.

Ruby's body language stiffened for a moment before she turned to the smaller girl, giving her a soft, sincere look—her dark eyebrows pulled together with concern over her deep forest green eyes. "Well, you can sit closer if you want…" She lifted her right arm and moved it to rest on the back of the couch, behind Belle, inviting the girl in closer.

To her amazement, she felt Belle's soft, petite body slide in under her arm, which the girl pulled down to drape around her shoulders like a blanket. "Thanks," Belle murmured as she eagerly nestled against Ruby's warm, supportive chest. She wrapped her gentle arms around the athlete's firm middle, taking in a satisfied deep breath before closing her eyes. Belle thought Ruby smelt like the summer air right before a thunderstorm—like rain, and flowers, and electricity. She breathed with content as she felt Ruby's thumb begin to caress the soft skin of her hand absentmindedly as she held the other girl's close as shelter against the cold. Belle vaguely recalled the notion of waking Ruby so the girls could return to the respective dorm rooms. Yet, she decided otherwise as she nestled closer into the other girl.


	6. Chapter 6

Ruby woke first, the sun ripping through the eastward facing windows and through her tightly shut eyelids. She stirred slightly but found a mysterious weight preventing her from moving her legs or right arm. She looked down to find Belle fast asleep in her lap— the smaller girl clutching Ruby's right hand to her chest, keeping the athlete's arm draped over her as a makeshift blanket. Ruby smiled at the sight.

Then, she panicked. Careful not to stir the still slumbering bookworm, she checked the thin, black leather watch on her left wrist. Just past 6am—it was still early.

"Belle…" Ruby whispered.

Nothing. The girl did not stir a bit.

"Belle…" she said a little louder, gently moving the tangle of soft curls out of Belle's eyes to let the sunlight help wake her. "Be—"

SMACK!

The back of Belle's right hand connected with the middle of Ruby's face as she suddenly jerked back to consciousness.

"Ow! Shit," Ruby crinkled her face with pain and brought both hands to her nose.

"Oh!" Belle whipped her head around. Thoroughly surprised to find herself in Ruby's lap, the tutor quickly clamored to get to her feet. As she attempted to stand, she stepped on one of Ruby's feet, causing the other girl let out small whimper of pain. "Sorry!" Belle squeaked as she stumbled backwards, trying to avoid doing any more damage.

She felt the back of her knees connect with coffee table in front of the sofa before she felt herself falling backwards. The bookworm's arms instinctively flew outwards in an attempt to find something to hold on to, but there was nothing. The falling girl accepted her fate and began to brace herself for impact with the ground, but Ruby quickly launched herself off the couch and reached for one of Belle's flailing arms.

In a single swift motion, the athlete caught hold of her tutor's forearm and yanked the girl out of her backwards tumble and forward into her own open arms. Their bodies collided with a soft thud.

"Ooof," Ruby let out with a puff of air followed by a quiet laugh.

Ruby took a step back, still gently gripping Belle by the arms to assure that she was stable. Belle looked up at the taller girl with a mixture of surprise and relief. Ruby's playful smile fell into a meaningful smolder as she met Belle's eyes, both becoming aware of their proximity and contact. Yet, neither girl retreated. For a moment, they hovered on the brink of uncomfortably close and uncomfortably far apart. Then, Ruby felt something hot over her left eyebrow and reached up to discover a small stream of blood.

Belle's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh! You're bleeding!" she said with in a worried trill. "I'm so sorry!" Belle broke their invisible barrier as she stepped closer to Ruby, reaching up to move some of the athlete's dark hair out of her face and provide a clear look at the wound. Belle grimaced at the sight of the small gash that ran through Ruby's left eyebrow. "Oh gosh, I must have hit you with my ring! I'm so sorry, Ruby!" Belle's normally musical voice was now strained with distress.

"Oh, it's nothing. Really," Ruby tried to assure the girl, who she could not stand to see looking so upset, but a few drops of blood began to fall from her brow, speckling her white t-shirt in a few spots. Upon seeing this, Belle took hold of one of Ruby's hands and began to coax her towards the door. Ruby resisted slightly but not enough to break the cool soft contact of Belle's hand in her own.

Belle looked back at the resistor softly, "Come on, let's stop the bleeding and get you cleaned up. I've got a first aid kit in my room," she pleaded sweetly.

"Alright," Ruby sighed a little in defeat, "but really, I'm fine. It's just a scratch." She gave Belle an endearing half-smile, "you don't have to apologize." Belle's anxiety eased a little at Ruby's sweetness.

Belle escorted Ruby up to her fourth floor dorm room and into a tiny washroom. She left the athlete in the doorway as she rummaged through a cabinet over the sink. She quickly retrieved a washcloth and began to run it under some warm water. After a moment or two, she looked back over shoulder to see Ruby lingering hesitantly just out of the room.

"Oh, will you just come here? I'm not going to beat you up any more, I promise," Belle teased with a bashful smile.

Ruby protested a little, "You don't have to do this. It's fine, I can't even feel it anymore."

"Yes, yes… You are very tough. I know," Belle rolled her eyes, "…but it's my fault you are bleeding so, the least I can do is clean you up," she said sternly. Ruby gave a defeated shrug as she stepped across the threshold and closer to Belle.

The smaller girl reached up to place a soft hand under Ruby's jaw as she used her other hand to gently wipe away the light trail of blood over the taller girl's brow. Belle's cool breath rolled across Ruby's cheek, sending a wave of electricity down her spine. Ruby stopped breathing momentarily, tensing at the sensation of the beautiful tutor's proximity and contact. Belle, herself, was trying not to notice the tingling feeling that was washing over skin. The air between them felt thick and charged with electricity.

Ruby could not take her eyes off the other girl. Her gaze washed over the shorter girl's beautiful face, taking in all of her soft, perfect features—her golden brown curls, her radiant skin, her thick, long eyelashes, her full, pink lips. Belle pretended not to notice the intensity with which Ruby looked at her, but she could feel her nerves start to betray her as her pulse began to quicken in the tense silence.

"There," Belle said quietly as she stepped back and away from Ruby, who finally remembered to breathe. Once again, they found themselves in an awkward limbo of proximity—neither distant enough to be comfortable, nor close enough to be satisfied. It was Belle who finally stepped closer.

"Ruby?" she started quietly, her big inquisitive blue eyes meeting Ruby's focused green. Belle's heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest at any minute if she didn't ask this very moment. "Do you—"

Interrupting Belle's train of thought and causing Ruby to whip around in surprise, the door to Belle's dorm slammed shut as her roommate entered, chatting loudly on her cell phone. "Oh. My. God. No she didn't!" the cute red head cried into the receiver before noticing the other two girls in her room. "Oh! Sebastian, let me call you back in a minute, there's someone here… Yeah. Yep. Okay," she clicked her phone off.

"Ruby!" she shouted before lunging at Ruby, throwing her arms around her neck. Ruby's mouth had been ajar with disbelief since the girl first stormed into the room and was still hanging loose when the redhead released her grip of her neck. Belle donned a look of utter bewilderment.

"Ariel…" Ruby started slowly, her voice catching in her throat.

"You two know each other?" Belle asked, her eyes flicking between the two girls. Ariel still held onto one of Ruby's arms, looking comfortable with such close contact. Ruby seemed to be in shock.

"Yeah, of course!" Ariel started in her usual jovial tone. "Ruby and I go way back! She's the first girl I ever kissed!" The girl lifted her right shoulder to her ear, winked, laughed and tossed her beautiful hair over her shoulder as she led Ruby out of the washroom by the bicep. Chatting at her flirtatiously and incessantly.

Belle's heart shriveled.


End file.
